iMovie and Garage Band make leap to iPad

With the inclusion of front- and rear-facing cameras on the iPad 2, it makes complete sense that Apple has chosen its launch to also introduce a tablet version its own film editing application iMovie for the first time. It has also brought the much-sought after Garage Band to the device.

The video editing software, iMovie, which features as part of the iLife package for Macs, has been enhanced for use with the iPad's touchscreen. It also features the company's precision editing system, multitrack audio recording, new themes specific to this version, AirPlay support - to stream video to an Apple TV, and is universal, so can be used on iPhone 4 or the latest generation of the iPod touch too.

According to Apple's iMovie page, the new universal iMovie application for iOS will be compatible with the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and fourth-generation iPod touch, but not the original iPad.

Fans of Garage Band have been yearning for an iPad version of the successful music-making software for some time - with many believing that it was going to be announced earlier in the year, when Apple sent out a teaser picture of a guitar on an earlier invite. However, it's now available for human consumption, and while it's more specialised than iMovie, it still makes music recording more fun and accessible.

It features a variety of touch instruments, including a grand piano, organ, guitars (both lead and bass), and drums. There's amps and effects for the guitars, or if you want to plug in an external instrument.

There's up to eight tracks available to record on and 250+ loops to use in mixes, allowing people with no musical talent to create stings and full musical pieces. You can even email the AAC version of a song from within the app, and it's fully compatible with the Mac version.

Both iMovie and Garage Band for iPad will cost $4.99 on the App Store (in the US) and will be available from 11 March, when the iPad 2 goes on sale in the States.

Our senior ed of news and features has been a tech and games journalist for more than 27 years, and has been with Pocket-lint for over five. Rik has edited a number of videogame magazines in the past, was deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, and his TV career included stints as co-presenter of Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky One’s Games World.